JJ Vincent is glad that being gay in America is not a crime…but what about the 77 other countries?
When I saw this video a few days ago, it brought a few things into cold, harsh light. While many gays in America worry about what will happen to us if we are found out – we might lose our jobs, be cast aside by our families, find ourselves without friends, be harrased, beaten, or worse – the reality is that we have it pretty good. Ditto for gays in a lot of European, western, and other countries. We are fighting for marriage equality, or at least a way to have our relationships recognized if we choose.
But in general, if we choose, we can talk openly about our partners or boyfriends and keep pictures of them on our phones or in our wallets without fear of going to jail or being killed by the courts. We might be undesirable, but we are not criminals (if you are in a jurisdiction where the laws or law enforcement have not caught up with the U.S. Supreme Court and Lawrence vs. Texas please comment). We have freedoms unheard of in 77 countries where homosexuality is illegal, and five where it is punishable by death.
Tushar Malik created this video in conjunction with this blog, talking about being gay in India, and how he is a criminal…for who he loves.
Change. We need it.
—Photo Nagarjun/Flickr
Authors note: On December 11/12, India has been rocked by court decisions leaving the legality of gay sex in limbo.